Bones?

[PJ's Mom]

Glaciers great pics of her dogs eating bones made me ask...

How do you feed dogs bones? Cooked? Raw? Does it depend on what type of bone? I'd like to give mine a special treat of a bone every once in awhile, but I'm not sure of the best, healhiest way to do that.

Thanks.

[gemini9961]

I second that question. What is best and how do we feed it?

[Shelteez2]

I feed them raw.

My dogs always get bones outside because they can get a little messy.

For just a recreational bone (one your dog doesn't consume but just chews on) I would look for beef marrow bones or knuckles. They are usually labelled as soup bones in the grocery store. Strong chewers can consume these bones, but they are pretty safe for most dogs. As with anything it is best to supervise when giving bones.

Also when giving marrow bones for the first time I would cut off any extra fat on the bone and scoop the marrow out of both ends as it can be a little rich and may cause an upset belly.

[Glacier]

I feed them raw too. Yesterday's bone were very fresh, but usually I feed them frozen. Never cooked, even big moose bones will splinter if they are cooked.

[luvofallhorses]

Sometimes they get cooked or raw. It is a once in a blue moon treat, because they try to steal other's bones.

[Almita]

I feed them raw or cooked

[gemini9961]

What kind of raw bone is best? I am in FL and as much as the dogs might like a nice moose bone, I don't have access to those.

[wolfsoul]

Visa gets raw bones. For recreational chewing, we go with the beef, buffalo, or venison marrow bones, but she usually just gets chicken and turkey necks.

[binka_nugget]

Raw bones only for my two. They usually get chicken bones for dinner (I buy bagfuls of chicken bones with some meat on them from the butcher). Once in a while, they get beef, turkey or duck bones.

[Giselle]

Word to the wise: NEVER EVER EVER feed your dog cooked bones!!! Cooked bones will splinter and can shred your dog's intestines and stomach. Unless the bones are cooked in high temperatures and pressures so that the bone breaks down into a pulpy mush, NEVER feed cooked bones.

On the other hand, due to your personal preferance, it is okay to feed raw bones. In fact, my dogs receive raw meaty bones like chicken carcasses, necks, wings, and thighs for their morning meal each day. They also receive a recreational bone (weight-bearing bones) like cow femurs and cow knuckles weekly. I never feed rec bones more than once a week because these bones CAN break a tooth if fed frequently.

[lv4dogs]

Raw & only raw bones, cooked bones can cause a lot of damage.

[Lobodeb]

I feed Maggy cooked bones. But only those big honkin' soup bones that there's no way she can get through. The bone itself is usually 1/4 inch thick if not thicker.

[Corinna]

I give only the knuckles and/ or the basted ones rom the store. they are arare treat as they last about an hour around here I also montor them and grab small pieces. I was told NEVER pork or chicken as they splinter and can go thru the throat . Have you guys checked with your vets?

[Lobodeb]

Originally posted by Corinna
I was told NEVER pork or chicken as they splinter and can go thru the throat .

Me too!

[binka_nugget]

Originally posted by Corinna
I give only the knuckles and/ or the basted ones rom the store. they are arare treat as they last about an hour around here I also montor them and grab small pieces. I was told NEVER pork or chicken as they splinter and can go thru the throat . Have you guys checked with your vets?

Yep. I told him exactly what Kai and Kae eat and he said it was fine as long as it was raw. He mentioned that in all his years as a veterinarian, he has never seen a dog with damage from raw bones.